Closure for collapsible tubes



May 12, 1936. E. KOLLER CLOSURE FOR COLLAPSIBLE TUBES Filed Dec. 23,1933 Wyn/701a, fM/L Kaua H Zia Patented May 12, 1936 Emil Koller,Zurich, Switzerland Application December 2a, 1933, Serial No. 703,777 InSwitzerland December 23, 1932,

3 Claims.

This invention relates to closures. and particularly to caps for tubesand other containers such as the flexible or collapsible tubes used fortoothpaste, shaving cream, and the like, though 6 the invention is notlimited in use to these ar ticles.

Many of the flexible tubes are closed by screw caps. This cap is verylikely to be lost. Furthermore the cap is relatively small, it-slips outof the fingers, is liable to fall upon the floor and be diflicult toflnd, and if the cap is not used the cream becomes hard. The liquid orpasty content of the open collapsible tube flows out and soils thetable, etc.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a new and improved capfor containers.

Another object is to provide a new and improved device of the type setforth which shall be adapted to be normally held in close-contact in aclosed position over the dispensing outlet of a collapsible tube orother container.

A further object is to provide a device of the character described whichshall have the fewest possible number of parts in order that it may beeasily and economically produced and assembled and provide a maximumefiiciency.

A still further object is to provide a cap for a containerhaving aresilient means for holding the cap in close contact over the dispensingoutlet which resilient means shall also operate as an opening means.

A further object is to provide'means formed integrally with the cap, tolower the cost of production and provide greater efliciency, which shallbe adapted to normally return the cap to a closed position over thedispensing outlet.

I attain these and other objects by means of the preferred form of thedevice disclosed in the drawing forming a part of the presentspecification wherein like characters of reference are used to designatesimilar parts throughout the said specification and drawing, and inwhich:

, Figs. 1 to 4 show each in sectional elevation an embodiment of myinvention.

Referring to the drawing the numeral I (Fig.

1) is used to designate a collapsible tube container having the usualreduced end 2 with a. passage 4 and having an annular flange l0 arrangedaround the said reduced end 2. On the said annular flange Ill a cap 3 isfastened by the beaded over flange H2 The cap 3 is provided with areduced neck 9 and with a dispensing outlet 5 arranged in said neck 9.In the neck a cylindrical closure body 6 of cork, rubber, etc., isarranged.

The parts I and 3 may be made of an alloy of aluminium, and thecontainer may be used for any material such as creams, shaving creams,fazcial creams, tooth paste, artist paints, liquids, e c. v

The body 6 rests on a seat of the flange Ill and 5 closes the passage 4.The body 6, moreover, abuts against a projection 8 of an-elastic disk Iwhich tends to press the body 6 on its seat. Said disk is convex and maybe flexed when pressure is exerted against its crown. 10

If pressure is applied on the container I, the body 6 is moved from itsseat against the, action of said disk 1 whereupon the contents passthrough opening 5. When pressure is taken off the spring disk I returnsto its initial position 15 and presses body 6 on its seat closingthereby the outlet. I

In the construction shown in Fig. 2 the end portion 22 of thecollapsible tube l is provided with a screw threaded portion l2 on whichthe 20 cap 23 is screwed. The cap 23 is provided with a groove l3 and aninwardly projecting flange l4.

In a centre bore of the cap 23 a closure body 26 of cork, rubber, etc.,is arranged closing the as outlet 4* of the container. The flange I4 isarranged in such a manner that the cap 23 may be unscrewed far enough toallow the contents of the container l to pass through the dispensingoutlet 5 if pressure is applied to the go container I. To facilitatetheoutflow of the contents, the dimensions of the body 26 are such thatsome space is left free about said opening 5 when the cap 23 ispartially unscrewed.

The construction shown in Fig. 3 is similar to 35 that shown in Fig. 2.The body 36 is slidably arranged in a bore of the cap 33. The body 36may be of metal, glass, ebonite and the like; it is pressed on its seatby a coiled spring. l5 arranged in said bore. The cap 33 is providedwith the dispensing outlet 5 arranged in a recess 9" of the cap.

As shown in Fig. 4, the container l is provided with a cylindrical neck42 on which the cap 43 is 5 slidably mounted. The neck 42 is providedwith a pin or stud l6 projecting into a slot ll of the cap 43. The slotl1 runs in axial direction of the neck 42 and ends in a cross slot. In abore of the cap 43 a closure body 46 is provided which 50 is pressed onto the mouth of the channel 4 by means of a coiled spring l5. By turningthe cap 43 so far that pin l6 enters the axial branch of the slot l1,and by applying pressure on to the container l, the cap 43 and the bodyso will be displaced and the content passes through the dispensingoutlet 5.

While we have described this device as being particularly designed foruse with flexible tubes, such as are used for toothpastes, shavingcreams, facial creams, and artists colours, we do not wish to be limitedthereto as it is obvious that it might be used for a large variety ofdifferent containers, and the invention is not to be limited to thespecific form of the device as illustrated, as this may be changed inmany ways without departing from the spirit of the invention as definedin the appended claims; nor is it to be limited to the particularcombination of the cap with a flexible container as illustrated, as thecap may be disposed in other combinations without departing from thespirit of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. A combination with a collapsible container, having a substantiallyrigid tubular neck, a cap on a valve seat formed at the outer end ofsaid neck, said cap being secured to the neck and formed with an outletopening in a wall thereof, a

deformable closure body normally mounted upon the valve seat andnormally closing the opening in the cap and a yieldable disk memberenclosed within the cap to yieldably hold the closure body in a sealingposition with relation to the valve seat and the opening in the cap, andto simultaneously flex to permit said body to recede from its seat toexpose said opening under force of the material being extruded from thetube by pressure tending to collapse the walls thereof.

2. A combination with a container from which material maybe extruded bypressure against the wall of the container, said container having acylindrical neck at one endthereof through which an outlet passageway isformed, and having a valve seat at the end of the neck, a cappermanently mounted over the end of the neck and having an outletopening in the side wall thereof, a deformable closure body fittingwithin the cap in a position normally obstructing the outlet opening andresting upon the valve seat, and a resilient disk or end member in saidcap having a central protruding portion withwhich the upper end of theclosure body engages and which will become embedded in the end of theclosure body as the closure body is deformed by pressure of the extrudedsaid end member will flex to permit said closure body to be raised fromthe valve seat and to uncover the outlet opening in the cap.

3. A combination with a container from which material may be extruded bypressure against the wall of the container, said container having acylindrical neck at one end thereof through which an outlet passagewayis formed, and having a valve seat at the end of the neck, a cappermanently mounted over the end of the neck and having an outletopening in the side wall thereof, a deformable closure body fittingwithin the cap in a position normally obstructing the outlet opening andresting upon the valve seat, and an end member consisting of a resilientdiaphragm in said cap having a central protruding portion with which theupper end of the closure body engages and which will become embedded inthe end of the closure body as the closure body is deformed by pressureof the extruded material to be raised from the valve seat and to uncoverthe outlet opening in the cap, said protruding portion of the cap beingformed centrally of the resilient diaphragm disposed within the cap andsaid diaphragm yieldably resisting force exerted by movement of theclosure body.

KOI-IER.

material, whereupon

